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911 Whitney's Bus Crush
Location: Blountville, Tennessee Date: November 4, 1991 Story On the afternoon of November 4, 1991, in Blountville, Tennessee, a group of kids were on their way home from school. Eight-year-old Courtney Maples and her five-year-old sister, Whitney, rode the same school bus everyday. "I was sitting with Jennifer Cole and Whitney was sitting with Becky Ford," remembers Courtney. Becky saw a picture that Whitney made and held it up to her eye to look through it. "I just saw a black outline of the turkey. She said that she had to give it to her mom so I figured it was real special," said Becky. The bus stopped at Courtney and Whitney's house and they got off. The picture flew out of Whitney's hand while she and Courtney walked up to their house. She ran after it and crawled under the bus to get it. The bus driver, who was unaware that Whitney was under the bus, started the brakes and accidentally ran over her. Courtney and the others screamed to stop the bus. "We heard a thump and I saw her laying on the ground," said Becky. Courtney and Whitney's mother, Tammy, heard Courtney's screams for help. "When I opened the door I saw Whitney laying in the road. I kept calling her name and she never responded. She just lay there," said Tammy. She told Courtney to go inside and call 911. "I've been a bus driver for 38 years. I didn't know what to think when I saw what had happened," said the bus driver. "I was scared because Whitney was so small and the bus was so big," said Courtney. She called 911 and told the dispatcher that Whitney got run over by a school bus and to hurry. The dispatcher told her that help was on the way. "I thought she was dead because there was blood all over her face and her legs were just limp," said Becky. Within three minutes, Sullivan County EMS Units including EMT Jim Perry arrived on the scene. "When I first heard from somebody that she got run over by a school bus, I just thought that there was no way that she could still be alive and be run over by a full size school bus," said Jim. Paramedic Stacy Mayhem sat in the back of the ambulance with Whitney and Tammy who tried to comfort her and held her hand. "We were both affected very much by this little girl. It was hard for me because I wanted to do more and more for her but there was only so much that we could do for her," said Stacy. Whitney was admitted to Holston Valley Hospital where a trauma team including respiratory therapist Sherry Bailey was awaiting her arrival. Sherry turned to another therapist and told her that she knew Whitney because she was in her daughter's class. "Most of the time when we transfer patients over to a facility like this we back out of the way and let them do their job but Whitney was still holding onto Jim's hand so we kind of stayed in there with her," said Stacy. Whitney's condition was critical and doctors informed her parents, George and Tammy, that she would have to be transferred to a trauma center better equipped to handle her injuries. Before they took her out to the helicopter, she got to see George and Tammy. "I think we all kind of teared up together," said Sherry. George and Tammy could not go with Whitney on the helicopter. "If I'm with her, I could hold onto her a little bit longer," said Tammy. Whitney was airlifted 120 miles to the University of Tennessee Hospital while George and Tammy followed by car. "I said, 'George, just let her survive. We can handle anything else. That's all I want is for her to live,'" said Tammy. Whitney underwent surgery to have her pelvis rebuilt and was put under the care of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Smith. "I basically had the operating room open up everything we owned and lay them all out there until I found one that fit her," said Dr. Smith. Whitney was stable and in critical condition. She was hospitalized for almost three weeks and underwent numerous operations. In the nine months since the accident, she has undergone physical therapy to learn how to walk again and has made an amazing recovery. "She came over to our station. It was great to know that she is okay," said Jim. The bus driver was very thrilled that she was okay. "I love my sister so much. If she wasn't home to play, I'd be rather lonely," said Courtney. "I'm just happy that I can walk again and I'm never going to walk in front of a bus again," said Whitney. Category:1991 Category:Tennessee Category:Motor-Vehicle Accidents Category:Crush Injuries